For the past ten years, the Medical College of Wisconsin's Short-Term Training for Minority Students Program has successfully provided career opportunities in the health-related sciences to underrepresented minority groups. National and state-wide recruitment/outreach is targeted to highly-qualified candidates from accredited colleges and universities, who represent African American, Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Pacific Islanders, and Native American/Alaskan Hawaiian populations. The number of applicants consistently exceeds the number of available slots. The educational objectives for underrepresented minority trainees in this program are to provide: . Stimulating training experiences in cardiovascular, pulmonary or hematologic research, . Opportunities to develop investigative skills that will benefit trainees' future learning and career endeavors, . Career information in biomedical research and educational resources to help trainees prepare and qualify for entry into research careers, and . Experiences and mentoring to foster positive attitudes toward learning. Training is conducted in the research laboratories of renowned MCW faculty, who are experienced preceptors of students from the undergraduate to post-doctoral levels, in the areas of anesthesiology, cardiovascular, hypertension, genetics, pulmonology, nephrology, neurobiology, physiology, pharmacology and toxicology, hematology-oncology, epidemiology, cellular biology and anatomy. As active, full-time members of the research team, trainees will help design a research protocol, collect and interpret data, and learn how to use biomedical research equipment. Trainees will spend approximately 60% of their time in laboratory research activities, 15% in library research and 15% in courses to strengthen scientific knowledge and integrity. The remaining 10% will be devoted to career development, mentoring and socialization. At the conclusion of the program, each trainee will prepare an abstract and deliver a 10-minute oral presentation, as a short-term product of their summer research experience. In the long-term, trainees and preceptors are encouraged to continue their relationships for potential publications, academic guidance, and additional summer training and future career development.